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SQUEEZING THE MOST FROM 40 SQ. FT. NEW UPPER CABINETS Instead of the usual 12-in.-deep uppers, the author made the new cabinets 16 in. deep. They can store a lot of stuff (serving bowls, lunch boxes, coolers, big wine bottles laid on their sides) that would never fit in a standard wall cabinet, as well as dishes and glassware. NEW BASE CABINETS The finished-maple plywood cabinet boxes were assembled with butt joints, glue, and screws. The width of the sink base, 30½ in., was limited by the swing of the exterior door. To make sure that the recycling bin would fit underneath, the author made the base cabinets 27 in. deep and pushed the sink slightly off center. Now that the bin had a place, he could use the other 32-in.-wide base cabinet for drawers, which offer much more efficient storage than shelves. 65 in. DOORS FOR EXISTING SHELVES The paint-grade cabinets use the wall space between the kitchen and office doors, including the space over the office door. They contain adjustable shelves used to store canned and dry goods, and at 12 in. deep, they don’t interfere with traffic flow. USE A STORY STICK TO AVOID MISTAKES Maple face frames Baltic-birch plywood panels Cabinet boxes are screwed through cleats into the wall framing. Check your work. A handy layout and construction tool to use on jobs like this project, a story stick is a length of plywood scrap on which room measurements are recorded and cabinet spacing is determined. Once the cabinets are installed, use the stick to doublecheck their locations. During installation, cabinets are separated by plywood spacers that make room for finished end panels. Baltic-birch plywood end panels www.finehomebuilding.com Assemble the face frames ahead of time. Built in the shop with pocket screws, the frames are scribed to the wall and nailed to the boxes as units. FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011 69